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A Tradition Of Being AnythingBut Traditional.

We were founded in 1984, with two cable channels when cable was far from a sure bet. Now we’re a global entertainment media company with six original brands: A&E®, HISTORY®, Lifetime®, LMN®, FYITM and VICELANDSM. We reach 330 million people worldwide, can be found in eight out of 10 American homes and have 500 million digital users. The best part? We did it our way.

Yes, we’re global. Yes, our shows are the topic of conversation everywhere. Yes, we’ve made a habit out of bringing the next big thing to TV. But we haven’t forgotten what got us here. Without all of our people – our creative teams, producers and employees – we wouldn’t be where we are today. We have never lost our entrepreneurial spirit, that scrappiness we relied on when we were just starting out. We put people, programming and partnerships at the center of everything we do, because these are the keys to our success.

We are in the business of telling stories. They may be stories about real people or made-up people, but our true talent is imagining, finding, cultivating and bringing to life the most entertaining parts of the human experience. And that’s not just corporate gobbledygook. We are fully human-centered. We’re proud of the genres we’ve created and the way we’ve reinvented television, but we also put our money where our mouth is when it comes to education and outreach programs. We empower our people because we know they’re the fuel that drives all we do, and they’re driven to entertain and empower our audience.

1983

The joint venture to form A&E Network is official.

1984

A&E is launched into an estimated 6 million U.S. homes. Its first program is The Barretts of Wimpole Street

1984

Lifetime Television is launched.

1985

A&E wins seven CableACE Awards, more than any other basic cable network.

1987

A&E introduces Biography ® with its first profile, Josephine Baker.

1990

A&E receives its first Emmy® nomination.

1991

A&E breaks the 50-million-subscriber mark.

1993

A&E’s highest-rated and most viewed calendar year in the network’s history.

1995

The History Channel launches with 1 million subscribers. Its first program is History of the Automobile: Corvette.

1996

A&E, History Channel and Biography® launch websites.

1996

A&E wins its first primetime Emmy Award.

1998

A&E begins production on its first A&E Original Movie, Murder in a Small Town.

1998

A&E Television Networks launches two new channels, History Channel International and The Biography Channel.

1998

The History Channel reaches 50 million subscribers.

2000

A&E and The History Channel are rated among the top ten television brands by EquiTrend Media Brand Survey.

2001

The History Channel reaches 70 million Nielsen subscribers, the fastest cable network to reach this figure from launch.

2002

A&E is nominated for 22 primetime Emmys, the most in the network’s history.

2003

A&E secures rights to CSI: Miami.

2004

The History Channel en Español officially launches.

2004

Growing Up Gotti is the most watched series premiere ever on A&E.

2004

A&E garners 24 Emmy nominations, the most ever in the network’s history and more than any other basic cable network.

2004

Dog The Bounty Hunter® ties Growing Up Gotti as A&E’s most watched series premiere ever.

2004

Abbe Raven is appointed President of A&E Network.

2004

A&E Network finishes the year as the fastest-growing major cable network in key demos A18-34 and A18-49.

2005

A&E acquires exclusive cable television rights to The Sopranos.

2005

Abbe Raven is named President & CEO, A&E Television Networks.

2005

Military History Channel launches.

2005

The History Channel experiences its tenth consecutive year of growth among its key demographics.

2006

Flight 93 premieres and becomes the highest-rated original movie in A&E history.

2006

The History Channel receives a Peabody Award for Save Our History®: Voices of Civil Rights.

2006

Gene Simmons Family Jewels™ premieres as the highest-rated original series launch for A&E since Dog The Bounty Hunter.

2007

The premiere of The Sopranos on A&E is the most watched off-net series premiere on cable ever.

2007

Ice Road Truckers® premieres on The History Channel and is the network’s number one original telecast ever.

2007

BIO. rebrands with the tagline, “True Story.™”

2007

Nancy Dubuc is named Executive Vice President and GM of The History Channel.

2008

The History Channel special Life After People™ is the most watched and highest-rated telecast ever for the network.

2008

The History Channel becomes HISTORY.

2008

A&E rebrands with a new logo and look under the tagline “Real Life. Drama.®”

2008

HISTORY launches “HISTORY Made Every Day™” brand image campaign.

2008

Bob DeBitetto is promoted to President and General Manager of A&E Network and BIO.

2008

HISTORY is the #1 cable network in primetime among adults 18-49.

2009

An agreement to combine A&E Television Networks and Lifetime Entertainment Services is announced, with Abbe Raven serving as President & CEO of the new company.